Prisma - Russian application carrying the styles of famous artists in the photo by using neural networks

Could you ever imagine that one day you will be able to turn your photos into art portraits and magnificent paintings? Frankly - an artwork? Of course, today there are so many applications that allow doing such things, but are they good for? What would you do if you were told that there is an application that in few minutes can "draw" a picture from any photo?

And it's not a joke! Indeed, the iOS application Prisma allows you to convert your photo into a reproduction of a famous artist like Van Gogh, Edvard Munch and Picasso in a few taps.

On June, 11th 2016 a Russian company Prisma Labs has released a free iOS application Prisma, which (with the help of neural networks) brings famous artists’ styles to users photos.

In this article, we would like to talk about why Prisma app is so popular, about its secrets, functions, and success. And, perhaps even on the prospects for “develop app like Prisma” and “how much does it cost to develop an app similar to Prisma”. Stay tuned!

Secrets

First things first - let's talk about the secrets and such a quick and stunning success of the application. And note, this is only for one “i” platform. Android fans have to wait (approximately up to July 2016). We remind that in the Apple App Store Prisma was released on June 11, and 16 have already captivated the entire Facebook and Instagram news feeds.

• Secret One (Quality)

At first glance, photo app Prisma recalls many similar applications, transforming the images into "masterpieces". However, through the use of neural networks, results in the new program are extremely better: it is not about applying a filter on the photo, but actually redrawing it in the specified style.

• Secret Two (Speed)

The main Prisma feature - quick image processing. Unlike the other products, which forces user to wait for a few minutes, this program is doing its job extremely fast. It transmits the parsing in the cloud and after that - returns the result directly to your iPhone. Simply, right?

• Secret Three (Anonymity)

The images that are "fed" to the neural networks rest on the server for a short period of time because they are important for improving the algorithms (and therefore improving image quality and speed of operation and effects of the application). According to the developers, they don’t know exactly what users are uploading or downloading. After processing, all photos are stored in encrypted format and deleted as soon as possible.

• Secret Four (Popularity)

Dmitry Medvedev. Yes, you read that right, we're really talking about the Russian Prime Minister. In addition to his position, he is also known for his interest in new technologies (let's remember that moment when Steve Jobs presented new iPhone to him).

Alexei Moiseyenkov (main developer) wrote on his Facebook: "It looks like we've taken Russia.", after Russian Prime Minister used Prisma to redo a photo. Medvedev was just the latest in a number of celebrities, using the application. Before him, the application was used by supermodels Natalia Vodianova and Irina Shayk, and even the chief editor of Ekho Moskvy radio station Alexei Venediktov. If you live in Russia and have not installed Prisma you either opposer, a heretic, or do not have an iPhone.

• Secret Five (Success)

Prisma Success smells like fast money. Mail.ru Group (Russian Internet giant) has invested $2 million in a new application. And hypothetically, Prisma compatibility with Instagram can also make repayment likely in near future. In this case, it will go the MSQRD path, application that Facebook bought earlier this year.

Note: in less than 2 weeks Prisma was downloaded more than 1.6 million times.

And here comes the “difficult” part: how to build mobile app like Prisma.

Prisma app development

In development of the application like Prisma there is nothing daunting and compelling. In the end, it's a mobile application, released by four enthusiasts. But it is necessary to clarify a few points.The concept is simple. Once installed, the app provides users to change their images in the style of famous artists like Wassily Kandinsky or Marc Chagall and others. Once the image is altered, it takes a tap on the screen, to share your results on social networks like Facebook and Instagram.

The application operates a deep learning technique called convolutional neural networks, and only cites to the original image for reference in the making of the final image. The convolutional neural networks which propel the app are apt of researching distinct styles after being educated on them through some pictures and are then capable of employing the styles to an otherwise image.

Up to this point, only mankind was able to divide the content of a pictorial art with the methods and styles used to design it. The artificial intelligence giving effect to Prisma has received this ability, studying the styles of renowned artists and then creating images applying that style, with the pictures that users provide to the application being utilized only as a guidance.

That has been made possible by moving the processing to a cloud on external servers, rather than on users' devices. Prisma is located on Servers.com, which had to increase the server space and power being dedicated to Prisma every day because of its extreme amount of users.

Cost to build app similar to Prisma

So, now you know what snags may be on your road to developing app like Prisma. Yes, it’s not a piece of cake but a hard work.

First, if you want your app to be perfect, it has to be user-friendly and fast. In this particular case, this is obtained by training neural networks and artificial intelligence involvement. In addition, do not forget about the fast and responsive servers. The development of such application will need about $30,000, as in the case of MSQRD application.

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